Glutinous rice balls in fermented rice wine with brown sugar
Chewy little rice balls in a hot soup of fermented rice wine, brown sugar and ginger, scattered with osmanthus — it warms you from the inside out.
- 25 min
- Serves 3
- Boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood circulation slows further for blood-stasis types at Minor Cold, bringing icy hands and feet and darker lips. Fermented rice wine is sweet, pungent and warm, moving blood and qi; brown sugar and ginger warm and disperse stasis, and with chewy little rice balls one bowl warms you right through.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Gradually knead the warm water into the glutinous rice flour to make a soft, smooth dough, then roll into fingernail-sized balls.
- 2Bring the water, ginger and brown sugar to the boil, add the rice balls and cook until they float.
- 3Add the fermented rice and goji berries, return to the boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Scatter with osmanthus and eat hot.
Cautions
- Fermented rice contains a little alcohol — not for pregnant women, children or anyone driving; have less with heavy periods.
Chef's tips
- Add the fermented rice last and turn off the heat as soon as it boils so it keeps its aroma and doesn't turn sour.
The TCM view
Fermented rice wine is sweet, pungent and warm, moving blood and qi and warming the middle; brown sugar is sweet and warm, dispersing stasis; glutinous rice is sweet and warm, supporting the middle qi; fresh ginger dispels cold and goji berries nourish the liver. Together they warm and open the blood vessels.
